What's the problem with eBooks?

So. Apparently there are people who have big issues with the onslaught of iBooks/eBooks. People are saying that the "tradition of reading will fade away" if we embrace eBooks. While i sympathize and understand their concerns, I think they are reading (no pun intended) way too much into this.

The tradition of reading will never go away, I don't think society will allow it. Some of life's greatest achievements, discoveries and experiences are found in traditional books. There will always be people who prefer the touch of a book, the smell of a new hardcover and the admiration of their collection on a shelf. Our culture will always have those people and I don't see them fading away much like the vinyl enthusiasts. You may have to search for a new album on vinyl, but you can certainly find it. CD's are still around, they may not sell the way they used to, but you can still buy a CD.They are no more expensive than they were 5years ago, if anything, they are slightly less expensive.

Our society has a knack for not embracing the next big thing and sometimes with good reason. I think there is an issue with everything being electronic with no paper back-up. I think there is an issue to only be trained on computers and not have the basic knowledge of a typewriter or how to spell without the assistance of a computer. These things are problems, we cannot control how corporations choose to run their businesses but we can control the reach of our own intelligence.

Don't blame technology for moving forward, embrace it. Be objective, but make sure those objections are valid and intelligent and by all means, if you don't prefer eBooks/iBooks, don't buy them.

Oh yes, I am so sold!

Oh yes, the day has come and gone but it still feels so very good! I have waited quite sometime for Apple to unveil the no longer mythical iPad! I just got done watching the keynote presentation and yes, Apple will probably be funneling more money out of my pocket in a few months.

Laptops are easy for travel, they are convenient, productive and pretty much lightweight (if you have a MAC). But honestly, whenever I find myself out with my laptop, very rarely am I doing anything besides surfing the net, listening to music or browsing through photos so the full power of my laptop is not needed at that time. I love my iPhone but looking at photos can sometimes be a little disappointing just because of the miniature size, browsing the web is upsetting for the same reason.

The perfect device to enjoy these features is the iPad. I have been in the market for an E-Reader for the past few months but found the Kindle® slightly unappealing and along comes the iPad!

We all know that I am a tech baby and a proud tech baby! I can appreciate the feel of an actual book, I can appreciate the visual appeal of a physical bookshelf... but thousands of books at the palm of my hand?! I can't resist. In my never-ending quest to become more green, this is another great opportunity! No longer do I have to contribute to the waste of paper for book manufacturing AND the books are fairly less expensive in digital format.

Looking over all of the blogs today I saw nothing but complaints, the iPad was either not what was expected or was exactly what was expected and people were disappointed. My answer to that is DON'T BUY ONE! Shut the fuc* up and let the rest of us "idiots" enjoy it. The same goes out to people like my dad who are so disappointed that Laser Disc and VHS are no longer around. You can feel free to continue watching your movies on VHS (good luck in the next few years getting newer titles, if that time hasn't already come) and I'll stick to my BluRay HD movies.

I think there are things that we can all appreciate about the past but this is the present and your medium is D E A D so move on. Whoppers from Burger King don't taste the same as they used to but you don't see me complaining do you? I just don't eat them anymore. Pepsi and Coke don't taste the same anymore, so I limit my intake. Sitcoms aren't as funny as they used to be so I don't watch them anymore and I think you get the point. We move on and embrace new technology while keeping a healthy memory of what was. Technology will move along, with or without you.

Why I love iTunes...

There are those that can argue and are probably right to some degree that digital music possesses none of the quality of a good ole fashioned record or CD even. I love listening to music. I love singing in my room when no one is around, I love singing in the car with a cup of Dunkin Donuts® coffee in my hand swerving in and out of traffic and smiling at the lady in the vehicle next to me. As long as I can hear some degree of instrument mixed in with vocals, I am good to go! So, these people that speak of the "missing quality" from mp3's and AAC's (which are actually pretty good) I say BOO HOO! Feel completely free to continue listening to your records and 8tracks and whatever it is that you do, I will continue LEGALLY purchasing and downloading my electronic files.

For one, I no longer have to own a CD rack, thank GOD! All of my files are magically stored and quite beautifully organized on my laptop computer and backed up via Time Capsule. When purchasing via iTunes, most CD's have the Digital Booklet that comes with the purchase of any album so I can still look at the lyrics when I'm not sure what the hell I'm singing.

The digital downloads are typically a little cheaper than if you purchased the album from a retail location. The only album that I've paid more than $10 for recently was Robin Thicke's new collection, which was worth every penny.

You can also purchase MP3 files from Amazon.com which are automatically transferred into your iTunes music library and just so you're aware, Amazon is sometimes cheaper than iTunes.

Digital downloads are environmentally friendly! I feel so green when I purchase a digital download because I haven't contributed to the waste of paper and plastic to sell the media. Yes, it's a major reason of why I got into the digital market in the first place.

If you want the physical feel, you can always burn your files onto a CD and take it with you on your travels and when you burn as MP3, you can get as many (sometimes more) as 80 songs on one CD! It's amazing right? Right now I am dancing in my chair to Madonna's "Hung Up" and I am quite pleased with the sound quality (just thought I'd mention that).

I also have the option of buying a single song from an album and coming back months later to "Complete my Album" which basically means, you can buy the remainder of the album minus the price you paid for the single song you purchased previously. So, no more buying single CD's at Sam Goody and then having to spend $14 for the whole album!

Also with digital, I don't have to worry about dragging along that dreadful CD case whenever I'm on the road, most of my song library is located right on my iPhone! Now depending on your car stereo speakers, you may suffer some quality issues but let me tell you, when I was breaking the sound barrier in the Charger, there was nothing better than my $13 auxillary cord and my iPhone! With random play, artists select random play and the Genius playlist, I never got bored.

So, to those who just can't stand the new age of music I say, stick to what you love but let the rest of us enjoy the new age. Times change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst, I personally view this as a music revolution and I appreciate the technology! 'Nuff Said.

--Greg

Uh oh, look who's blogging... again. :)

Wow, I actually think that one day I will stick to blogging and never stop but here I am again so who cares right?!

There are plenty of things to talk about so stay tuned!